Sound absorptive file cabinet door

Abstract

A file cabinet is disclosed which has a door with high sound absorption properties. The door has metal front and rear panels and an intermediate layer of sound absorbing material sandwiched therebetween. An array of openings are cut through both the front and rear panel. Sound impinging on the front panel enters the cabinet via the door and is attenuated in the door and cabinet. Preferably, paper files are stored within the file cabinet with their peripheral edge surfaces disposed towards the rear panel to assist in attenuating sound within the cabinet.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. A filing cabinet having a storage compartment and door means movable between open and closed positions to provide access to the storage compartment, and a plurality of paper sheet means removably placed in the storage compartment, wherein said door means comprises; a front panel;   a layer of sound absorptive material disposed rearward of said front panel;   a rear; and   a plurality of first openings through said front panel;   the first openings permitting a substantial proportion of sound impinging on said front panel to pass therethrough and into said layer of sound absorptive material,   the door means permitting a substantial proportion of sound impinging on the front panel to pass through said door and out the rear into the storage compartment,   said plurality of paper sheet means having peripheral edges removably disposed in said compartment for storage with the peripheral edges proximate the rear of the door means and directed towards said rear when the door means is in the closed position, such that sound passing through said rear impinges on said peripheral edges.   
     
     
       2. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 1 including retaining means disposed in the compartment for orientation of said paper sheet means with the peripheral edges rearward of and directed toward the rear of said door means when the door means is in a closed position, such that sound passing rearward through said rear will be directed toward said peripheral edges.   
     
     
       3. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said door means further comprises: a rear panel disposed rearward of said layer of absorptive material such that sound passing rearward through said layer of sound absorptive material impinges on the rear panel,   a plurality of second openings through said rear panel permitting a substantial proportion of sound impinging on said rear panel to pass therethrough.   
     
     
       4. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 including retaining means disposed in the compartment for orientation of said paper sheet means with the peripheral edges rearward of and directed toward the rear panel when the door means is in a closed position, such that sound passing rearward through the rear panel will be directed toward said peripheral edges.   
     
     
       5. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said front panel comprises a thin sheet of metal and said rear panel comprises a thin sheet of metal. 
     
     
       6. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 5 wherein said sound absorptive material comprises a rigid panel of acoustical foam. 
     
     
       7. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 6 wherein an outer facing surface of said front panel is covered by fabric. 
     
     
       8. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 4 wherein said front panel comprises a thin sheet of metal and said rear panel comprises a thin sheet of metal. 
     
     
       9. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 8 wherein said sound absorptive material comprises a rigid panel of acoustical foam. 
     
     
       10. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 9 wherein an outer facing surface of said front panel is covered by fabric. 
     
     
       11. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 5 wherein said plurality of first openings comprise a first grid-like network of circular apertures, and said plurality of second openings comprise a second grid-like network of circular apertures.   
     
     
       12. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said plurality of first openings comprise a first grid-like network of circular apertures, and said plurality of second openings comprise a second grid-like network of circular apertures.   
     
     
       13. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 11 wherein said first network of circular apertures is aligned with said second network of circular apertures. 
     
     
       14. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said door means is coupled to the filing cabinet for pivoting about a horizontal axis to move from the open to the closed position. 
     
     
       15. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 including drawer means defining said compartment slidable horizontally, forwardly and rearwardly into and out of the filing cabinet, and said door means forming a front wall of said drawer means.   
     
     
       16. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said front panel includes a central first major portion having a surface area substantially equal to a surface area of an outer facing surface the door means, and said rear panel includes a central second major portion having a surface area substantially equal to a surface area of an inner facing surface of the door means,   said first openings comprise between four and fifteen percent of the surface area of said first major portion, and   said second openings comprise between four and fifteen percent of the surface area of said second major portion.   
     
     
       17. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 16 wherein said first major portion is substantially planar over said second planar portion. 
     
     
       18. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said paper sheet means comprises planar paper sheets disposed in said compartment in a plane normal to the rear of the door means. 
     
     
       19. A filing cabinet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said paper sheet means comprises planar paper sheets disposed in said compartment in a plane normal to the rear of the door means.